Fateful Friends
by stormbreaker830
Summary: So this is a story about Rory and Jess, starting from when they're 10 and a subsequent romance... Literati a little bit of Narco in the beginning but not so much, maybe even so Trory? R&R plz
1. Chapter 1

"Hurry up Rory! We have to get to the inn!"

"OK mom! Coming!" Rory cast one last glance around the room, making sure everything was in its proper place. Assured that everything was where it belonged, she skipped out of her room and straight into Lorelei's waiting arms.

"We are so late, hon. Do we have time to stop at Luke's? What am I saying of course we do." Rory smiled. Her mom was frantic. Today at the inn they were hosting two different events – a funeral, an then later on a wedding party. Rory loved the parties the inn held, mostly because she could eat all the food she wanted. And Sookie was such a great chef.

Rory was ten years old, and the world was a beautiful place for her; even when it wasn't so great she could escape into the world of her books and imagine that she was right there with her favorite characters. She explored the world of Huckleberry Finn, Jane Eyre, queens of England, adventurers from all times. But she rarely explored on her own.

When they arrived at Luke's, he was muttering to himself as he while delivering orders to the few customers that were brave enough to try Luke's when he was in a bad mood.

"She always does this, always," he grumbled to himself.

"Yes, I do always make quite an entrance, don't I?" announced Lorelei as she walked in with great bravado. "Luuuke, can we have some blueberry pancakes, and make it quick? Except not too many blueberries because then it might overwhelm the sens-"

"Not right now Lorelei, I'm just a little busy today. How about ordering something that's actually on the menu for today? I had pancakes yesterday, if you remember."

"Well yes but I was not in the particular mood for pancakes, and they are such a lovely breakfast-"

"Lorelei. Not. Now." Lorelei stared him down. She knew he'd cave eventually. She was right. "Fine. But only a few pancakes, and you're not allowed to count the blueberries, clear?"

"Jeez, what's gotten your undies all in a bundle? Run out of flannel?"

Luke sighed. "Liz dumped Jess on me for a week. Apparently she's gotten her big break, she finally got a job and she needs some time to 'get settled,' or so she says. I don't expect to see her for a month."

"Wow sorry Luke. Wait so your nephew's here? Where is he now? Maybe he can come and play with Rory at the inn, I need to keep her occupied somehow, we have a busy day today. It would take him off your hands for a while too," Lorelei offered. She thought Luke looked like he needed some time to relax. He had never been one for entertaining kids.

"Really? You sure it wouldn't be too much trouble? You don't mind?" Luke was worried Jess would get into trouble at the inn. He didn't want Lorelei to have to deal with that on top of everything else.

"Sure, don't worry about it. He'll have fun, socialize, explore Star's Hollow a little. It's no trouble at all," Lorelei smiled brightly. "Besides, if you don't accept, I'm going to ask for blueberry pancakes with only eight blueberries per pancake every day for the next three weeks. Imagine all the fun we'll have."

"Alright, alright, I accept," Luke smirked at her. "But you still can't count the blueberries today."

"Aw darn… Fine, you got yourself a deal."

Jess came down about ten minute later. He was a cute little kid with untidy jet black hair and the chocolate brown eyes of a dreamer. He peered innocently up at Lorelei, wondering why he had to go with her and her weird daughter instead of just staying with Luke. Jess was resentful; he wanted to go back to New York and be with his mom; at least she didn't make him do things he didn't want to do. Except, of course, this trip to Star's Hollow.

"We're going to have so much fun today, Jess. This is my daughter Rory. I hear you too have a lot in common, Luke tells me you like to read a lot. So does Rory," Lorelei grinned at Jess. He didn't return the smile. This looked like it was going to be a long day indeed.

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When Jess first came down from Luke's apartment, Rory was smitten almost immediately. He was like a little angel coming down from above. She was speechless. Then she was worried. What am I going to do with him all day? she wondered. Rory had never had any friends that were boys before. She didn't know what to expect.

When they arrived at the inn, Jess immediately inquired if they had a garden or orchard or something. "Why don't you and Rory go explore, she knows this place back and forth" Lorelei suggested. Rory would keep him occupied, she thought. She'll keep him out of trouble.

Jess looked slightly put out, but he didn't say anything. Rory didn't notice his expression.

"Come on, I know the perfect place," she said excitedly. "It's my favorite spot in Star's Hollow."

She led him down a path along the lake, stealing nervous glances at him every so often. He was quite cute, she had to admit, but she couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"You'll see," she said mysteriously. She wanted to surprise him.

They walked down the path until they got to the place Rory had in mind. There was a large elm tree on the side of the path, right beside the lake. "This is my ultimate favorite place to read, to sit, to relax, anything," she confided in him. She beamed at him. "Do you like it?"

"Sure. Now maybe you could go find your mom or something, or go find something to do. I want to read, if you don't mind." Jess was being a little patronizing, but this kid was annoying him. Couldn't she see he wanted to be alone? He hated this little town, and she was the epitome of everything it stood for.

Rory was hurt. "Oh. Okay, I suppose I could do that." She slowly turned and started to walk away.

Jess regretted his attitude immediately upon seeing her face. He hadn't intended on hurting her feelings; he just didn't want to be bothered. "Wait. Come back. You can stay here and keep me company if you really want, I guess."

She didn't want his pity. "No, it's okay, I'll go. Don't worry about me."

"No, I want you to stay. Please do."

She hesitated. "You sure? You're not just saying that?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Please stay."

"Okay then."

Rory walked back to the tree. She gazed at Jess. "Do you know how to climb trees?" he asked her. "I mean, have you ever climbed one this big before, or do you just sit under it?" He was curious.

"Climb? But isn't that dangerous?" The idea was foreign to her; she never took risks like that.

"Come on, live a little. It's just a tree. Here, I'll show you. I can't believe you've never climbed a tree before, it's so much more comfortable to read from up there."

Jess lifted himself onto the branches and started climbing. He made it look so easy, moving with a liquidity she could never see herself achieving. In a matter of seconds he was already about 15 feet high. Rory stared up at him apprehensively. "I'm not sure about this…" she said. He detected a slight note of panic in her voice. He smiled. She was kind of cute when she was nervous.

"Come on, it's easy. I'll help you." He reached down and offered her his hand. She glanced at it, then at him. His eyes welcomed her into them. She smiled.

"Okay."

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. She started climbing slowly up the trunk of the tree, trying as hard as she could not to look down. She kept gazing steadily into his deep chocolate brown eyes, moving towards them in earnest.

She slipped. Rory tried to grab hold of the tree, Jess, a branch, anything that might save her, but she fell. Hard. Her right elbow connected heavily with the ground in a crunch of pain she hadn't been expecting.

Jess's eyes were as big as saucers. "Oh no, are you okay??? SOMEONE GET HELP RIGHT AWAY!" he called out to the surrounding area. He looked around. No one was in sight. He ran as fast as he could back to the inn and found Lorelei. "Come quickly, Rory fell!" he told her.

Lorelei turned white. "Is she hurt? What happened? Rory!" Lorelei ran down the path and found Rory laying in the grass. "Honey what happened? What hurts?" Jess stood off to the side. He felt guilty. He had told her to climb the tree, it was his fault she was hurt. He could have let her go, but he had to tease her and make her jump through hoops. He felt ashamed of himself.

Then Lorelei turned to him and demanded, "What did you do to her? Did you hit her or something? What kind of kid are you, to do something like this?"

Jess felt a surge of anger welling up inside. "It was an accident, I didn't do it on purpose. She was climbing the tree and fell, it's not my fault!" He knew this wasn't entirely true, but her assumption that it was all his fault made him want to prove that he wasn't exclusively responsible; she was the one who wanted to stay, after all. "Maybe if you taught your daughter had a bit more common sense she wouldn't climb trees knowing she's never done it before!"

Jess was furious with Lorelei, and he knew that she was livid with him. He turned and stalked back to the diner in a huff. "What do these small town people know about anything? I don't need this, I'm going home," he muttered to himself.

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When Jess got back to the diner, he told Luke what had happened. Luke was silent for a while, then went upstairs and called Liz. Jess was still angry about what had happened, more at himself than anyone else.

Lorelei stormed into the diner, rage apparent in every pigment of her countenance. "Luke! Where are you, we need to talk NOW!" She caught sight of Jess sitting at a table. She glared at him. "This is all your fault. I tried, I was nice, I wanted you to have a good day. Rory is a good girl. She has never gotten in trouble. Ever. Suddenly you show up and she lands in the hospital with an injured arm."

Jess looked away. Maybe if she wasn't so immature… he thought. But he knew he was kidding himself. Rory was more mature than he'd ever be. Instead, he said, "It was an accident. I was trying to help her. It's not like I pushed her or anything. We were just climbing a tree."

"Rory doesn't climb trees."

Suddenly Luke walked in. "Your mom is coming tomorro-" He stopped. "Lorelei. How's Rory? I'm sorry, I knew this would happen, they're from two different worlds, they don't mesh well."

Jess cut in, "Can everyone stop blaming ME? Rory wanted to climb the tree. I was TRYING to help her, this is NOT my fault." He stomped angrily from the room.

Luke looked at Lorelei, but had a hard time meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I know, Luke. Just get him out of here, soon," she warned him.

"Don't worry; I'm bringing him home tomorrow. Based on what happened today, I think it's safe to say he won't come back any time soon."

Lorelei relaxed. "Got any coffee?" she asked. "Cause I could really use some."

"Sure," and with that he poured her a considerable amount of coffee, and they promptly decided never to mention the day's events again.

Little did they expect what would happen in just a few short years…


	2. Chapter 2

Rory nearly had a seizure. No way had she just seen what she thought she saw. It had been so long, and she had almost forgotten all about it. Almost.

It was Jess. He was back.

She saw him sitting on her favorite bench, right off of the town square, reading a book, making notes in the margins, just as she always did at this time of the day. She stopped in her tracks and her mind went all the way back to that fateful day when she fell out of the tree, years ago. Seeing him now was almost like something out of a dream. She remembered his smile, his big brown eyes, so deep and full of light.

Suddenly Rory remembered where she was. She turned and ran in the opposite direction, not looking back.

Jess looked up. He felt like someone had been watching him, but no one was even paying attention to him. Glancing around cautiously, he regarded the town with a look of distaste. Ever since he had left, years ago, he felt a special kind of loathing for the town that had so rudely assumed him to be at fault for the damage done to their little princess. More like rag doll, he thought, remembering how simple and devoted she had been that day at the inn. She had hardly given him any space, following him around, shyly talking to him as though she were doubting her every word and her ability to speak. Jess went back to his book, but he could no longer concentrate. He felt as though every eye in the town was on him, waiting once again for him to screw everything up. He got up and went back to Luke's.

Meanwhile, Rory was standing on Lane's porch, out of breath. She was impatient for lane to get home. She often found it inconvenient to go to a different high school than her best friend, but never more so than at this very moment.

Ever since Rory had started going to Chilton, her relationship with Lane had been a little different. They couldn't see each other as often, and their schedules were usually conflicting. Sometimes they didn't even get the same breaks. They had decided it was a conspiracy against them, but they got through it okay.

But now Rory needed to confide in Lane, and only Lane. She was the only one Rory had ever told about her crush on Jess, from that one day back when she was so much younger. She hadn't even told Lorelei, mostly because of how angry Lorelei had been with Jess. But Lane understood. She knew all too well the plight of the disapproving mother.

"Lane! Finally, you're home! We absolutely need to talk, right now. Are you busy?" Rory was practically desperate.

Lane smiled. "Come on Rory, I've always got time for you. Let's go to my room, I went shopping yesterday." She gave Rory a knowing look.

Rory smiled. Lane going shopping meant that there would be lots of goodies under the floorboards.

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"And now I don't know what to do anymore! What do you think? Am I crazy for wanting to talk to him again?" Rory looked Lane with her sad blue eyes, hoping that Lane would give her something, anything to help her situation.

"Rory, I think you're forgetting a few things." Lane gave her a look that clearly said that she was an idiot.

"Oh yea. Right." Rory shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't want to think about Dean. True, she had finally consented to go out with him, but only because he was so damn persistent. She had wanted to stay just friends, simple as that. But that wasn't good enough for him. He was "in love with her," or so he claimed. But she knew better. The captain of the football team, in love? More likely that Lane's mother was secretly on ecstasy.

The problem was, besides the fact that he was quarterback, he did seem to truly like her. And her mother loved him. And she hated Jess.

"Well I don't know, I was just thinking…" Rory tried to think of any excuse, but none came.

"I guess you're right Lane. Besides, I haven't spoken to Jess since that day at the inn. Who knows what he's like now? Maybe he's changed." But in her heart, she knew he was still as perfect as she remembered. And Dean wasn't.

"Come on Rory, just give Dean some time. You hardly know him, but trust me he's really sweet. You're just unwilling to accept the fact that a guy can be popular and not a jerk. But I've spent a lot more time with him than you, and believe me he really does like you. He hardly talks about anything else. It's a little sickening, really." Lane smiled.

"I don't know, maybe I'm just nervous." Rory smiled. "I guess what's the worst that can happen? I should consider myself lucky, I guess."

"That's the spirit. When are you guys going out?"

"Umm……I think tomorrow night? Yea that sounds right." All of a sudden Rory was looking forward to her date with the most desired guy in town. Really, why had she been so against it before? Maybe it was just her nature. She had never really had a boyfriend before, so maybe she was just not used to having a guy's attention focused on her, and she naturally expected the worst.

It wasn't until she got home that she remembered why she had gone over to Lane's to begin with. Rory's mind started to race all over again. Why was he here? What had made him return to the town he hated so much? She knew he hated Stars Hollow, and with good reason; everyone here hated him too, and that was mostly her fault.

Guilt-ridden, Rory checked the messages on the machine. One was from her mom, saying she was running late at the inn and should order dinner for them. Another was from Sookie, and the last message was from Luke. Rory listened to it with bated breath, waiting for an explanation about Jess.

"Hey Lor, it's me, I just thought I should give you a heads up that Jess is…um…well he's back in town for a while. It wasn't my idea, I swear, I know how you feel about him, but it was kind of unexpected…I'll explain it all later, I'd rather talk in person, considering…well…yea I'd just rather tell you face to face… that's all really, I guess I'll see you later."

Rory was intrigued. What was so secret that he couldn't leave on the machine? Why was Jess back? And why did Luke feel the special need to warn her mother about it? Rory knew that her mother had strong opinions, but Luke rarely catered to them unless asked specifically. Curiously, Rory listened to the message again, looking for some hidden meaning but finding none. She erased the message. Her mom didn't know that Jess was back. She wanted to keep it that way for a while, until she could think of a plan.

Rory went to sleep that night dreaming of trees and big brown eyes staring right through her.

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Jess, on the other hand, didn't sleep well at all. He was worried about what would happen in the morning. Would people really remember everything that had happened before? Would they find out about everything that had happened since? One thing he didn't mid about Stars Hollow was that no one knew just how bad his situation really was. And he didn't really want to enlighten them.

In the morning, when he woke up, Jess picked up his clothes from off the floor and put them on. He didn't really care so much about making a good impression on his teachers. They would find out about him anyway, it was all in his records. Them, he couldn't influence. As for the rest of Stars Hollow, he had come to the decision that they were just one chapter of his life. Barely even relevant to anything else that might happen to him later. He didn't plan on being here long, regardless of what Luke said.

"I'm out." He breezed past Luke on his way out of the diner, barely even hearing Luke's calls to him as he slammed the door behind him. He was already late, what could Luke say to help him? He doubted he would hear any words of wisdom from anyone in Stars Hollow, let alone his own uncle.

"Oh sorr-" he stopped. "Rory. Um…wow…hi." He blushed, as did she. Of course he would run into her, on his first day of school, late, with her looking like a perfect angel. Her enormous blue eyes pierced him with a look of shock and surprise.

"Jess…um…what are you doing here?" She looked around. "How are you? It's been a while." She seemed nervous.

Jess could hardly speak. It was as though she were something completely different from what he remembered; no longer a rag doll, more like a china doll, perfect in all its innocence and beauty.

"I have to go, I'll see you later." He couldn't stand there like an idiot gaping at her. That wasn't his style. He was more the type to take off when in doubt.

But he wasn't prepared to see her sad eyes tear up, or the hurt look on her face. He felt bad, but really there was nothing for him to say to her. He was caught completely off guard. He tried to justify running away to himself, but when he couldn't think of any good excuse he just gave up. School was waiting for him, he couldn't afford to start the day off on a bad foot. He needed this chance to do good again.

But Rory couldn't forget. For the rest of the day, all she could think of was what he said, 'I have to go…' He couldn't even bear to stand with her for a couple of seconds. What had she done to him that was so horrible?

She felt no better when her phone rang at the end of the school day. She answered without looking at who it was.

"Hello? Rory?"

It was Dean.

"Oh hi. What's up? How are you?" She tried to sound normal, but at the same time she was fighting to keep herself from hanging up. He was the last person she wanted to talk to at that moment.

"What time should I come and get you? You know, for the party tonight?"

"Oh right." They had decided to go to Jamie Wilkin's party that night, on their date. She was actually glad that she would get a distraction. "How about at 8? That should be fine."

"Alright. Um, Rory?" He sounded apprehensive.

"Yea?"

"I'm really glad you said yes. I really like you, a lot."

Rory's guilt increased tenfold in that one moment. Lane was right, he sounded genuinely in love with her. Too bad she was obsessing about a guy who probably hated her. She decided then and there to stop thinking about Jess. He wasn't worth it. She had a guy who actually wanted to be with her. Why not give him a chance? It might actually make her happy. Better than crying about a guy who could probably care less about her.

"I'm glad I said yes too, Dean. More and more all the time. I'll see you later, ok? Bye."

Hanging up, Rory smiled. She was going to move on. Five years is too long to hold a torch for someone who obviously couldn't stand being around her. She was determined to have fun with Dean, no matter what it took. She needed something good, and Dead was certainly able to o that for her.

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So……what do you guys think? You like? No? any suggestions? Preferences? Anything at all?

Let me know what's good and what's bad, changes, ideas, I'm totally open to anything you guys want. Comment!!


	3. Chapter 3

Challenge 3

Okay people I am truly EXTREMELY sorry that there is such a long time between posts…but I happen to be a Junior in high school, taking all of the honors classes (plus we gotta learn all this extra stuff that no one cares about anyway) so please be a little understanding under the circumstances. I will try (honestly I will) to be quicker next time, but I am seriously swamped with so much work you would not even believe it. But yes I am still sorry to everyone for keeping you waiting so much

Now some comments to certain people……

JESSandRORYforever – I'm not really sure what details you mean, specifically… but I'm trying, I hope…

qwertyuiopsdfghjklmnb – maybe there is some sort of allusion, maybe it's foreshadowing, or maybe it's nothing……only one way to find out ;)

Anyone else who wants a shout out, COMMENT because I love it when you do makes me feel all warm and fuzzy

Also, thanks to all of you for reading, sorry I don't update so often but yea that's what high school does to you, maybe we could all change that somehow…

And now, on to the story!

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Once again, Rory couldn't decide what to wear. Her room was a mess – clothes were strewn all over the floor, necklaces lying around her desk, shoes on top of shoes on top of everything. I shouldn't be this nervous, she kept telling herself. It's Dean, not really anything special. It's not like it's…

She stopped. "No. Don't think about that. Tonight is about fun, and pining like a little girl is not fun."

Rory glanced around the room. She zeroed in on her red sequined tank top. "Perfect," she said, grinning. "Now for the bottom part…" she looked at all the clothes all over her room. Spying her favorite black mini skirt, she smiled and put it on. Grabbing her bag and glancing in the mirror one last time, she was ready. She looked at her watch – it was 7:00.

Rory sighed. Leave it to her to be ready one hour early for a date. Dean wouldn't come until 8, leaving her with one hour of nothing to do. Lorelei wouldn't be home until after she left with Dean, she was at Sookie's watching movies. Rory was feeling antsy; she needed to get out and get her mind off things. Her imminent date with Dean was making her nervous.

Rory decided she wanted to head over to the bookstore, since it was sometimes open late and she had just enough time to pick out a book. She took off her skirt and put on a pair of sweatpants and sneakers, started to walk over to the bookstore. She needed a good book to bring with her to the party, just in case.

While walking into town from her house, her mind started to wander, and of course it wandered right to Jess. Would he be at the party that night? Maybe, there was a definite chance. It was the biggest party for months. But still, he was new in town, so he might not know about it.

"Stop it Rory," she told herself. "You have a date already. Stop thinking about Jess, it's not going to get you anywhere."

When Rory walked in the door of the bookstore, the first thing she saw made her heart skip a beat – Jess was standing right there, reading a book. She turned pale. For a moment, she just stood in the doorway with her mouth open in surprise. Then, realizing where she was, Rory turned around to get back home before he could see her looking like a bum.

Typical, she thought. Of course she would look like a mess when she ran into him. She hoped he hadn't seen her looking like that. Looking at the time, she realized that Dean would arrive in about 20 minutes.

Jess had looked up just in time to see a figure running out the door. Was that who he thought it was? He sprinted to the door and opened it just in time to see Rory dashing back in the opposite direction. Why did she do that? he wondered. Did she really hate him so much that she couldn't stand to be with him for even just a couple minutes? Feeling somewhat dejected, he headed back into the store and picked out a book at random from the shelf and left. He had places to be; he couldn't stand around all day thinking about a girl who didn't even care. With that last thought, he turned and headed back to the diner; if he was going to go out that night, he would need a good book.

When Rory got home, she changed back into her clothes as fast as she could, and put her make-up on. Good thing her mom had taught her how to apply quickly. Just as she was looking herself over in the mirror, she heard the doorbell. Smiling at her reflection, she grabbed her purse and answered the door.

"Wow… I um……hi Ror," Dean stammered. "You look great." He smiled. "You all set?"

"Yea, let's get going, I'm ready to go," Rory said a little impatiently. She needed to get out of here; she was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. She walked past Dean out the door, knowing he would probably follow right after her.

Later, at the party, Rory was feeling miserable. Almost all of Stars Hollow's teenage population had shown up, the music was great and the food was surprisingly not horrible as well. Dean was being a great date, asking her if she needed anything, and introducing her to all his friends there, laughing and having a good time. Every so often, he would look at her with an expression of disbelief on his face, as though he couldn't believe she was there. He offered to dance with her, but she didn't hear him; she was absentmindedly looking around them room for the majority of the party, looking for something. Eventually, Dean had to comment.

"Um, Rory? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He looked at her, concerned. "You haven't really said much all night, and you seem kind of distracted.

"What? Oh, sorry Dean. No, I'm just not feeling so great." This wasn't a lie; Rory was feeling a little sick, and it had nothing to do with the party. She was, of course, thinking about Jess – where was he? There was never anything to do in Star's Hollow, so when there was a party, everyone went. Even if he was new in town, you had to be practically dead not to know when there was a party going on.

"I'll just get you a ginger ale or something, maybe that will make you feel better," Dean said gently, as though he might scare her away at any minute and run in the opposite direction. He headed off looking for the refreshments table.

Rory sat down and put her head in her hands. "I have to calm down. Seriously Ror, you have to stop." She closed her eyes and counted to ten, took a deep breath and stood up. She would be a good date to Dean from this point on; he deserved that much at least. She needed to give him at least one shot; he had proven himself worthy of that.

At that exact moment, Jess walked in the door.

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OK THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS

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Ideas are welcome, you can message me whenever you want, I really do take your ideas into consideration when I'm writing. Let me know what you think of this odd, odd chapter that came out quite differently from what I expected. Anything you wanna say, go for it because I take no offence at anything at all, promise.

Later, gators :)


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